The Naked Neanderthal

Neanderthal hunter Ludovic Slimak has dedicated decades to unearthing the mystery of our prehistoric ancestors. Now he has found a missing piece that radically reshapes our understanding – not just of the Neanderthals but of humanity itself – Michael Segalov * Observer *One of the most enjoyable and enlightening history books of the year, Ludovic Slimak’s The Naked Neanderthal, attempts to teach us about ourselves by teaching us about the mysterious, dead creatures we call Neanderthals * Prospect Magazine, Books of the Year 2023 *Intriguing … Ludovic Slimak finds unique insights through an exhaustive excavation he conducted of a rock shelter in France – a Rosetta Stone of the Neanderthal world … The Naked Neanderthal sets out to free this extinct species of the prejudices we have imposed – and, as such, is a resounding success – Alison George * New Scientist *Vivid, refreshing … this intriguing book offers personal vignettes of archaeological excavations and provocative critiques of researchers’ tendencies to interpret Neanderthals as the intellectual and creative cousins of Homo sapiens … The Naked Neanderthal is absorbing, elegantly written and sometimes mischievously humorous, … a wealth of useful, up-to-date information and debate – Rebecca Wragg Sykes * Nature *An entertaining book … His research has led him to conclude that Neanderthals weren’t another version of modern Homo sapiens when it comes to mental structures. They were instead an utterly different humanity – Jules Stewart * Geographical *An exhilarating contemplation of human otherness … Clear explications of scientific concepts, lively commentary on the implications of competing ideas, and engaging storytelling describing the pursuit of knowledge by dedicated investigators bring a startling picture of an alternate humanity into view … Also excellent is the author’s broader discussion of how our own human prejudices have limited our appreciation of the Neanderthals’ achievements, a perceptual blindness he convincingly relates to modern forms of racism. Slimak shows how we have much more to learn about ourselves by studying “exotic sensibilities” and more fully acknowledging “our nature not as humanity but as a humanity” * Kirkus Reviews *With the style of a poet and imagination of a philosopher, Ludovic Slimak probes the minds of Neanderthals, our closest cousins. All too often Neanderthals are envisioned as either prehistoric brutes or full humans, but Slimak argues that they were something unique, a species that developed their own forms of consciousness and intelligence. In an age of artificial intelligence, this fun and provocative book is a reminder that we still have a lot to learn about biological intelligence – Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the DinosaursA thrilling, bracing and scholarly introduction to modes of being and of paying attention to the world which are both akin to ours and importantly and revealingly different. We need urgently to consider less dysfunctional ways of occupying the cosmos and our own heads. The Neanderthals, speaking movingly and iconoclastically through Slimak, might be able to help – Charles Foster, author of Being a BeastLudovic Slimak provides a remarkable and well-informed account of the many facets of the lost Neanderthals. It shows us what it means to be human and allows us to better imagine what extraterrestrials might be like – Avi Loeb, author of ExtraterrestrialWho were the Neanderthals, and what do we really know about their artefacts and tools, customs and culture? An eye-opening and refreshing account, full of surprising revelations and personal reflections from a researcher who has spent thirty years coming face-to-face with another human species – Lewis Dartnell, author of Being HumanA fascinating, immensely enjoyable read by a brilliant and original thinker who has dedicated his working life to studying Neanderthals – Jonathan Kennedy, author of PathogenesisRoaming through caves, digging through earth and rocks, and unearthing fossils, this adventurous, bearded archaeologist takes us from the Arctic Circle to Mediterranean forests in his search for the famous Neanderthal. His personal quest combined with the scientific argument gives the book its real weight. The writing is lively and the author deftly uses sarcasm and shock factor * Les Echos *A candid and uncompromising approach to a much-debated part of humanity’s early history … Slimak immerses us in the daily life of a prehistoric archaeologist … a bold book * L’Histoire.fr *Ludovic Slimak takes us on an astonishing archaeological quest… he squarely confronts the myths surrounding this extinct species … This human ‘creature’ is the Neanderthal, of course. But it’s us too, whose unexpected portrait emerges from this comparison across millennia * Les Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco *

Ludovic Slimak is a paleoanthropologist at the University of Toulouse in France and Director of the Grotte Mandrin research project. His work focuses on the last Neanderthal societies and he is the author of several hundred scientific studies on these populations. His research has been featured in Nature, Science, and The New York Times. The Naked Neanderthal was published to great acclaim in France.